Improve the struggle against babies' pain.

摘要

In his Art of Medicine essay "When is research on children ethical?" (Jan 8, p 115), Peter Singer praises the possibility of doing clinical research on infants if it carries "no more than a minimal risk of significant harm", including pain. The main flaw of this argument emerges when Singer asks: "why should [parents] not be able to consent when the research carries no more than a minimal risk of significant harm?" The error is to believe that parents might "consent", when they should only "defend". In other words, parents should not be allowed to choose between several options that have different degrees of usefulness or stress for the baby, but they must permit uniquely the best option, avoiding any risk: babies have not given their consent, thus we should presume they would not, according to the common "precaution principle".